Stories from the Community
How a Mission-Driven Firm Supporting Dramatists Earned its Curtain Call
Planet and Profit as public benefit corporation in New York City.
DG Copyright Management or DG©M is a purpose-driven business. It believes in doing work that makes a difference in the world. And it’s the very reason why this estate planning consultancy and intellectual property management organization chose to adopt a triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit.
As a certified Benefit Corporation for Good, DG©M is committed to social and environmental impact. It joins a family of businesses from 5 states and 1 Canadian province whose values are aligned in creating a better business, a better community and a better planet.
We recently interviewed Debra Murad, executive director of DG©M about becoming a certified Benefit Corporation for Good. Here’s what she had to say about it, her firm’s motivation for doing it and why it’s helping DG©M take a leading role in working with dramatists and their works.
8 Ways To Boost Your Imagination and Build a Culture of Creativity
What does it mean to be creative? Are you known for your out of the box thinking? Can we learn to be more creative as leaders?
Today, creativity is needed more than ever as we take on workplace and societal challenges., but leaders that come up with innovations may not necessarily describe themselves as creative.
The “Superpower” of Benefit Corporations (Yes, there is one.)
Within this group of thousands of small businesses, you’ll find a large number who describe themselves as purpose-driven companies. They believe in enhancing the local community where they live and work. This is especially true with those small businesses that have committed to the triple bottom line of “people, planet profit” and have incorporated and certified as a Benefit Corporation.
9 Advantages of Benefit Corporations
There are many advantages to becoming a Benefit Corporation, including doing good for people and the planet. While there is no requirement to be certified to do good for the planet, being a Benefit Corporation could provide perks that you may not have ever had access to on your own.
So what are some of these perks? Below, nine thought leaders give their insights about what they see as the advantages of being a Benefit Corporation.
How a Strategic Financial Services Firm Found Its Purpose Far Beyond the Bottom Line
As the founder and CEO of Tailwind PDX, Colleen Ruhlin brings a Fortune 100 financial and accounting skill set to her clients. Her strategic thinking and ability to see beyond a company’s financial statistics can do much to improve the performance of a business.
But when she made the decision to become an Oregon Benefit Company, she knew it wasn’t solely about the numbers. It was based on the practice of a Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Profit where a business focuses on its employees, its clients, and its communities in addition to making a profit.
We recently interviewed Colleen about becoming a certified Oregon Benefit Company. Here’s what she had to say about it, her motivation for doing it, and why it was right for her business.
Could Nonprofits Fulfill their Missions as Benefit Corporations?
I love many nonprofits. I support them and have been an Executive Director of one. I can go on and on about the contributions they make in our communities. But I also know the challenges they face. Executive Directors have shared these observations and realities about nonprofits:
How a World-Class Research Firm Found its Big ‘Aha’ in Becoming a Force for Good
When Marzano Research decided to become an Oregon Benefit Company, they knew that a Triple Bottom Line approach to business was the only way for them. After all, they believe that a business must go beyond just making profit to be of value in the eyes of their employees, their clients and their communities.
Recently they felt the time was right to certify those beliefs and practices of…
6 Lessons of Collaboration from the Aspen Grove
Have you ever experienced the beauty of an Aspen Grove? Its regal rhythm and movement? Its mesmerizing sound?
The Aspen tree is a treat for the eyes and ears. Not only is it a lovely tree, but it is also magical as when a breeze passes, and the leaves flutter a peaceful humming melody.
But our love of the tree goes deeper than its impact on our senses.
Many of you may not know that the Aspen Grove is a great metaphor for one of the paramount tenets of Benefit Corporations: Collaboration.
How a Purpose-Driven Consulting Firm Took It Up Another Notch
Change is the new normal. Resilient, agile and adaptive organizations stay ahead of the competition. And while The Peak Fleet co-founders Jen Coyne and Brian Stinson help prepare organizations for dealing effectively with such organizational change, they’ve also embraced a transformation of their own by becoming a certified Benefit Corporation for Good.
For the past 3 years, their firm has modeled the principles of the Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Profit. No doubt those values have been part of their careers and business from the get-go. And recently they felt the time was right to certify those values and practices through Benefit Corporations for Good.
3 Keys to Creating a Diverse (And Productive) Work Environment
Many small business leaders today are charged with the stewardship of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D/E/I) work of their organization. Those who truly embrace this work as core to the achievement of their overall business goals will experience more challenges and, yes more rewards. The diversity literature indicates that holistically engaging diverse workers will lead to increased creativity and overall team performance when the differences are managed effectively.
So, what does this mean to you?
1 Simple Way To Clearly Differentiate Your Brand
It’s getting harder and harder to clearly differentiate your brand these days. And it’s not hard to believe given that the average consumer is exposed to anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 ad messages a day! We remember not long ago when we quoted to prospects that the number was closer to 500.
Why Become a Benefit Corporation: The Revealing Business Case
Certification as a Benefit Corporation business is what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk or LEEDs certification is to buildings. Benefit Companies and Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies certified around standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. In an era of ‘greenwashing’ and misleading labels…
17 Uplifting Examples of Putting Soul Into Business
A year ago this week, my business partner and I introduced our book Putting Soul Into Business: How the Benefit Corporation is Transforming American Business for Good. It tells the story of the benefit corporation movement and all the reasons it’s not only right for business but it’s right for the times we live in.
Think…
10 Common Myths about Benefit Corporations
The Benefit Corporation movement has been around since 2010. Yet 9 years later, there continues to be confusion about this entity and its relation to Benefit Companies and B Corps. Here are the ten subjects most often asked about during our workshops in 2018.
How To Create a Sustainable Workplace and Community in 2018
Like many companies, we are always trying to be more sustainable. This is a basic tenet of the benefit corporation. But what does it mean to be sustainable and to actualize the 2nd P in the Triple Bottom Line?
5 Important Reasons To Get Certified as a Benefit Corporation
You are an entrepreneur or a small business doing all the right things.
You believe in giving back but you also want to make a profit.
And you care about the environment. For your kids and grandkids, for your community, for the world.
In sum, you believe in the triple bottom line of people, planet profit.
Why a Strategic Consulting Firm Used Certification To Leave the World a Better Place
If you listen to the founder of Mighty Epiphyte, you hear a common thread in all her communication. That commonality? Leaving the world and her community a better place. As a firm believer in the Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Profit, Kim Allchurch Flick is a connector and collaborator who catalyzes good business.
How to Differentiate Your Brand by Taking a Stand
If your business isn’t taking a stand, the results are clear: you’re not going to be relevant to target markets. This is the reality of today’s consumer as revealed in a fresh new study from Edelman.
What’s particularly enlightening is that…